TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to Hulman Center for an in-state showdown with Valparaiso Thursday night at 7 p.m.
 
Thursday's game will be carried on ESPN+ with Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Laura Leonard (analyst) on the call. John Sherman will also have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
 

Indiana State Women's Basketball vs. Valparaiso
Date	Thursday, January 30 | 7 p.m. ET
Location // Venue	Terre Haute, Ind. // Hulman Center (9,000)
Game Notes	Indiana State Notes // Valparaiso Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats Link
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend
Tickets	Tickets Starting at $6
Social Media	@IndStWBB // @IndStAthletics

 

Last Time Out
Four Indiana State players scored in double-figures Sunday afternoon, but a slow start proved costly in an 88-58 defeat for the Sycamores against Belmont inside the Curb Event Center.
 
Bella Finnegan led the Sycamores with 17 points, with Deja Jones, Keslyn Secrist and Davina Smith adding 10 points each. Mia Simpson had seven points, seven rebounds and six assists, with Secrist and Savannah White both pulling down six rebounds.
 
Indiana State made just three baskets in the first quarter, as Belmont led 19-6 through 10 minutes and never looked back. The Sycamores picked up momentum in the second with Jones and Finnegan combining for 13 in the quarter, but still faced a double-digit deficit at the break. Indiana State struggled in the third quarter, being outscored 24-12 in the period and, despite a 21-point fourth quarter, fell in the finale of its two-game road trip.
  
Home Cooking
Indiana State returns to Hulman Center for its next two games, with the Sycamores looking to see an uptick in numbers. The Trees home splits show marked improvement across the board compared to their numbers on the road.
 
The Sycamores' scoring margin is more than seven points per game better at home compared to on the road, with the Trees also averaging more points (64.2 home, 62.5 away) and rebounds (42.0 home, 36.1 away) inside Hulman Center.
 
Indiana State has a plus-4.8 rebound margin at home compared to a minus-4.8 margin on the road. The Sycamores' field goal, 3-point and free throw percentages are all higher at home compared to on the road.
 
Steady Hand
Indiana State junior guard Bella Finnegan has been a consistent scoring threat for the Sycamores since her return to the lineup in mid-December. Finnegan leads the Trees in scoring at 14.2 points per game for the season and has averaged 13.4 points per game against conference foes.
 
Finnegan has scored in double-figures in nine of her first 11 games this season, including a season-high 22 against both Purdue and Evansville. She knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers against the Boilermakers and has hit a season-high seven field goals on four different occasions, most recently in the last game at Belmont.
 
Finnegan surpassed 700 career points in the Sycamores' last game at Belmont, finishing with a team-leading 17 points against the Bruins.
 
20-Somethings
Indiana State has seen four different players record a game with 20-plus points this season, with three of the four Sycamores accomplishing the feat against conference foes.
 
Deja Jones was the most recent Sycamore to score 20-plus in a game, finishing with 21 in the opening game of Indiana State's road trip at Murray State. Jones was an efficient 8-for-14 from the field against the Racers.
 
Prior to Jones, Bella Finnegan and Keslyn Secrist also scored 20-plus points against Missouri Valley Conference opposition. Finnegan tied her season-high of 22 in Indiana State's win over Evansville, while Secrist had 20 against Southern Illinois.
 
New Year, New Roles
Indiana State was left with the task of replacing four starters from its 2023-24 season, with the Sycamores often relying on youth during the 2024-25 season.
 
Of the Sycamores who have started a game this season, only Bella Finnegan was a regular in the rotation at any point over the last two seasons. Deja Jones, Keslyn Secrist and Savannah White have become regular starters after combining to start just three games in the entire 2023-24 season.
 
Jones and Secrist, Indiana State's leaders in assists and 3-pointers, both average more than 30 minutes per game this season after averaging less than 10 minutes per contest in the 2023-24 season, while leading rebounder Saige Stahl averages 25 minutes per game after averaging less than seven minute per game last season.
 
Doing It All
Indiana State junior guard Mia Simpson did a bit of everything in the Sycamores' last game at Belmont. Simpson led the Trees with seven rebounds and six assists, both of which were her most in an Indiana State uniform.
 
Simpson also added seven points and has now scored six or more points in six of the last seven games.
 
Valparaiso At A Glance
Valparaiso enters Thursday's game at 6-13 overall and 2-6 in conference play. The Beacons remain in search of their first road win of the season, going 0-9 in true road games thus far.
 
Leah Earnest leads the Beacons with 16.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, with Nevaeh Jackson (13.1) also averaging double-digit scoring for Valparaiso. Five different Beacons average at least five points per game, while four players have hit 15 or more 3-pointers this season. Valpo averages nearly 10 steals per game, with four different players averaging more than one steal per contest.
 
Mary Evans is in her seventh season as head coach at Valparaiso and owns a 66-129 record at the helm of the Beacons. Evans is 5-6 against Indiana State in her career, including a 3-2 mark in Terre Haute.
Series History Against Valparaiso
Indiana State owns a 12-7 mark against Valparaiso and is 4-4 against the Beacons in Terre Haute. The Sycamores swept the season series last year and are 4-2 against Valparaiso over the last three seasons.
 
Since Valparaiso joined the MVC, Indiana State has an 8-5 record against the Beacons.
 
Last Meeting Against Valparaiso (Feb. 9, 2024)
Mya Glanton led all players with 17 points and Kiley Bess added 15 off the bench, as Indiana State withstood a late Valparaiso rally to defeat the Beacons 70-65 inside the Athletics-Recreation Center.
 
Chelsea Cain was also in double-figures for the Trees with 12 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists, while Ella Sawyer had eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.
 
Indiana State took an early five-point lead following 3-pointers from Cain and Keslyn Secrist, and 3-pointers from Bess and Asia Donald kept the Sycamores in front. A back-and-forth second quarter saw the Trees take a one-possession lead into the intermission. Indiana State exploded for 21 points in the third quarter and led by as many as 15 following a three-ball from Donald midway through the fourth quarter, but Valpo put together a comeback attempt late. The Beacons got within two inside the last three minutes, but Indiana State went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in crunch time and Cain iced the game with a layup in the final minute.
 
Up Next
Indiana State plays host to UIC Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Women's Basketball, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.